Saturday's Smile--Summer Vacation!

Okay, I'm a day late, but it's vacation time so I'm allowed to be lazy, right? :)

In my future skills/day 7 post from blog week I expressed my desire to make myself a pair of socks. Well I completed my first pair! They are actually slippers made with Wool-ease, a worsted weight wool blend. I used Mary McCall's Short Row Heel Socks pattern. I can't believe how incredibly easy they were! I will definitely be making more of these as gifts, and for myself. I'm also ready to tackle ones made with sock yarn. :)

4KCBWDAY7

Saturday's Smile

I know I'm not the first one to think of the "Tulip Hat" photo, but I couldn't resist making my own. :)

I've been making hats.

Lots of hats. Doll hats to be exact.

 

They are all for the local Head Start. With all of the budget cuts I decided to do a little bit to help out. I will also be sending doll blankets, play kitchen oven mitt/potholder sets, shawls and boas for playing dress up, and assorted other toys and learning aids. All crocheted of course. :)

I don't usually promote specific charities on the blog, but if you are so inclined, give your local head start a call and ask them how you can help them with an "In Kind" contribution. :)

Exhausted & Something CuTe!!

This week has been so very tiring for me. I've been wanting to catch up on comments and posts from blog week, but haven't had a chance. I will soon though!

I did want to show you these shoes I found by way of Pinterest. Aren't they the cutest things? Cyndi has already put in her "order" for a pair, and I think I will have to make myself a pair as well. :)

Got Skills? 4KCBWDAY7

One year from now what new skills, projects and experiences do you hope you might have conquered or tried?

It likely comes as no surprise, but a year from now my primary goal is to reduce my stash. My dream is to have all of the overflow gone and my stash completely contained in my spare closet. This will be no easy task considering I've only managed to eliminate two cubbies worth of yarn (about 40 skeins) in the past 3 years. But like I said, this is my dream. In reality, I'm just hoping to avoid new purchases. I'm not going to go so far as to say I will exclusively use stash yarn for my projects, but I can confidently commit to doing so at least 85% of the time; hopefully more.

 My spare closet nice & tidy :)

I just wish the rest of the place looked like this!!

My blog activity has been sporadic over the past few years. So my second goal is to be better about keeping up here. I plan to continue to post more often, talk more about my crafting inspirations, show off more of my finished projects, and create a better web presence in general.

Speaking of web presence... I've finally come into the new millennium and created a Facebook Page for my Crochet Amore and Crochet Amore Knits! line of patterns. Yes, there is only one knit pattern in there now, but hey, it's a freebie! Be sure to check back next week as I have 4 new knit patterns that I'm finalizing as we speak. And never fear crocheters! I have tons more crochet patterns on the way as well. :)

Textured Dish Towel

freebie knit pattern

My third goal is to learn more about Bruges Lace. Ever since I first saw the Amandine Doily (3rd one down) by Hartmut Hass I knew I needed to make it. I've bought the pattern and have watched a couple of you tube videos. I think I understand how it works, now I just need to get to it! :)

And my fourth goal is to once and for all knit a pair of socks for myself! This has been on my to-do list for 5 years now and I have yet to brave up and just do it. I need to decide on an easy first-time pattern. I've thought about doing these just to learn the mechanics of it, but at the same time, I'd kind of like to jump right in with some of the sock weight yarn and small dpns I have. :)

I have more, lots more, I'd like to accomplish this year. I will likely not finish half of what I would like, but I'll give it a good honest try. :)

I just want to say I've enjoyed this year's blog week. Thank you to Eskimimi Makes for organizing the week's activities! I've had a lot of fun meeting bloggers from around the world. Please stay in touch! :)


4KCBWDAY7

Saturday's Smile/Cool Tools 4KCBWDAY6

Write about your favourite knitting or crochet (or spinning, etc) tool.

I thought today I would combine my "Saturday's Smile" with my Day 5 post for Knit and Crochet Blog Week since my favorite tool definitely makes me happy. :)

My favorite tool is my hook caddy. I bought it at Target a few years ago in their impulse buy section for $2.50. It has been worth every penny and then some! It is actually a child's "Art Caddy," but it serves me well in its current function so, oh well. :)

It has plenty of room to hold all of my crochet hooks, my "go-to" knitting needles, a few pair of scissors, and some other supplies. The bottom has a lazy susan type mechanism that allows it to turn giving me easy access to everything.

I just wanted to talk quickly about some more of my favorites. I prefer Boye hooks, Bates are okay, but they tend to split the yarn on me. I have a set of bamboo hooks but don't care much for them. They have a "tooth" to them that holds onto the yarn. The slick metal hooks allow me to move faster allowing me to be more productive. That's always a good thing! :)

Ironically, in regard to bamboo knitting needles, it's that drag that I love about my Clover bamboo needles. I'm not a great knitter so I need all the help I can get! The slick metal makes me drop too many stitches. Someone on a forum years ago suggested I try these. Oh my, what a difference!

The ones above are the sizes I grab most often, 6, 7, and 8. I have metal ones in all types and sizes but keep them tucked away as I never use them. I've been toying with the idea of creating this just so I can give them something interesting to do. :)

I also have a few specialty hooks, and with me being a Bee, I have to show you this one I picked up on ebay a few years ago. I had a hard time getting a good picture, but hopefully you get the point.

Well, that's it for today. I was out all day so am behind on reading posts from yesterday but I will be catching up over the weekend. I look forward to reading about everyones favorites!

EDIT: I meant to say... when I saw Bek's video on her blog Polka-Dots & Sparkles, like the bee that I am, I was instantly drawn to the Ten Stitch Blanket she had on her needles. The wip above is the beginnings of a Ten Stitch doll blanket for my daughter's classroom (she's a pre-K teacher). LOL


4KCBWDAY6

Buzz Buzz 4KCBWDAY5

It’s the annual challenge to blog in a way different to how you normally blog. 

Okay, prepare to roll your eyes because this is undoubtedly the corniest thing you will read today.

 Bee-ing Mee

to bee or not to bee
a monkee or a pee-
cock, no not mee
manatee
the see
is not for mee

a new thing I see
calling mee
sparkle-ee
distracting mee
I must see

swinging in a tree
adventurouslee
playfulee
curious monkee
"come play with mee"

a tempting plee

something fun I see
luring mee
shinee

tempting mee
I must see

gentle manatee
cute and cuddlee
gentlee
splashing in the see
water-ee
that's no life for mee

a new thing I see
teasing mee
glitter-ee
taunting mee
I must see

strutting proudlee
vividlee
"hey, look at me"
majestic pee-
cock, can't you see
feathers aren't for mee

petal to pozee
flying free
with glee
bizzee bee
yes, that's mee
it's meant to bee!

4KCBWDAY5

Color Me Happy 4KCBWDAY4

What are your favourite colours for knitted or crocheted projects?

I was looking forward to writing today's blog post. But now that it's here I'm finding hard to articulate my color philosophy. I use a lot of different colors in my projects. I love most colors and enjoy playing with them for effect. There are colors I tend to gravitate toward, but to say they are my favorites might only be true for the moment. The only colors I find myself actually avoiding are the overly pale pastel "baby" colors.

I know when I look at my projects over the past year or so, of the ones I have made and kept for myself, there will be many bright pastel colors. Nothing pale, but lots of rich, vibrant, true colors. Nature colors. Possibly a hint of something dark, but no black. Maybe a splash of white for contrast. Yes, bright, flowery, nature colors. Happy colors.

Dishcloth bouquet on my kitchen counter

My "Lucy Flowers" (a wip for the bathroom wall)

 One of many bright floral-y hotpads I use in the kitchen

A "Just for Fun" kitty sitting on a shelf in the bedroom

I could go on, but I think you get the point. :)

Now stash is a different story. The vast majority of what I crochet is given to others, either as gifts or to charities, so the colors will not represent my personal tastes or preferences. I've also been making a concentrated effort to reduce the beast that is my stash, so there will be an absence of some colors. I know I am low on reds and blues. I am really fighting the urge to shop. Really fighting...

 My Red Heart stash 3 yrs ago

My current stash (Red Heart reduced to 4 cubbies)

Nothing exciting there, so let's move on. :)

As you'll see, I love the traditional granny pattern, especially for charity projects. They are quick and easy to make and I can put one together start to finish in under 4 days. What a productive Bee I am. :) These projects also give me the opportunity to play with colors I wouldn't normally use for myself. I've had some failures, but most of them usually turn out nice. I'll start with a couple of my fails...

 I was going for Christmas, but ended up with Martini. LOL

The other six. I wonder what the seniors thought of this one. :)

Another Christmas one that fell slightly short of its mark.

Now this one is more like me. Very garden-esque.

This is one of my favorites, Neopolitan.

Another favorite. I feel like I'm sitting in a field of flowers. :)

Not a granny, but I saw it on Ravelry in these colors and HAD to make it. :)

There are more, but I won't bore you with them now. If you'd like to see my other granny-ghans, I am CrochetAmore on Ravelry. Just search "granny" in my projects. I am really behind getting pictures up, but I will try to finish that up next week sometime.

One final (long) thought on my personal color style. I have different tastes for different purposes. If you look in my closet you will see I have a clear affinity for purple, teal, blue, and black. I rarely wear red or any "hot" colors. You might occasionally catch me in pink or brown... but it's a rare sight. And never ever yellow, orange, or green... my complexion just can't handle it. :/

In the second stash picture above, you likely saw the pineapple afghan on my bed. When I choose colors for a large project for myself, such as an afghan, I tend to lean toward a more subdued palette. Choosing solids over multis, mid-tones over brights, etc.. I am currently working on a sofa throw, the Pinwheel afghan, in Ranch Red. A very muted, almost brown-ish, red as another example. Why these bland colors? They do seem to go against what I've said about my preferences.

Looking at the examples of my personal color style above (and below,) I trend toward smaller accents of color. A bouquet of dishcloths on the counter. A flowered cozy on the dish under a plant... By allowing the larger pieces to fade into the background, the smaller-more vibrant-bursts of color don't have to compete for attention. They are allowed to make their own statement. In other words, less is more.

Yarn for sofa pillows

Tuna can covers

Various colorful magnets/fridgies

My Christmas tree skirt. Just a hint of red. Let the tree be the center of attention. :)

EDIT: I am just noticing that I do a lot of floral themed projects for myself. How very "Bee" of me. :)
2nd EDIT: Corrected the link for the pineapple blanket.

4KCBWDAY4